{"id":4127,"date":"2025-01-20T05:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T05:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/performing-quad-sets-for-recovery-and-rehabilitation.html"},"modified":"2025-01-20T05:03:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T05:03:49","slug":"performing-quad-sets-for-recovery-and-rehabilitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/performing-quad-sets-for-recovery-and-rehabilitation.html","title":{"rendered":"Performing Quad Sets for Recovery and Rehabilitation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Quad sets are one of those simple yet powerful exercises that can help you make the most of a period of recovery or rehab.<\/p>\n<p>As with any exercise, quad sets should only be done with a doctor\u2019s approval. But, chances are, if you\u2019ve recently dealt with a knee injury or surgery, quad sets are in your future.<\/p>\n<h2>What Are Quad Sets?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cQuad sets, or total knee extensions (TKEs), are a great way to improve quad engagement, which can shut off after an injury or surgery,\u201d says Carlos Teasdale, CSCS, founder of\u00a0Low Back Solutions. \u201cI use quad sets for anyone recovering from surgery or a serious knee injury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teasdale explains that quad sets can help you regain your knee\u2019s full range of motion, but a few guidelines apply.<\/p>\n<p>Start slow and don\u2019t push yourself past the point of muscle fatigue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy actively trying to squeeze the\u00a0quad muscles\u00a0to fully extend your knee, you will never be able to go past that natural range of motion that your capabilities allow you,\u201d he says. \u201cThis natural limiter will prevent injury and improve results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also,\u00a0when\u00a0you do quad sets matters. \u201c[Quad sets] are not a good exercise to do before heavy squats, sprinting, or sports that involve cutting, jumping, or landing,\u201d Teasdale says. \u201cThey will fatigue out the muscles that manage knee extension,\u201d he explains, which leaves your knee susceptible to injury.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Do Quad Sets<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sit on a mat with your legs extended in front of you. Roll up a small towel and place it under your knee.<\/li>\n<li>Use your quad muscles to fully straighten your leg and press the back of your knee into the towel. Hold the extension for three seconds, then release.<\/li>\n<li>Complete three sets of 10 reps on the affected leg. However, if your quad muscle reaches full exhaustion before you complete 10 reps, stop, rest, and shorten your next set as needed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>More Quad Exercises<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cUnlike most rehab movements, quad sets are not good to do outside of rehab,\u201d Teasdale says, as they can fatigue the small muscles responsible for managing knee stability.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re working with a pair of healthy, pain-free knees, here are some alternative\u00a0quad exercises\u00a0that can help you build quad strength.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Front to back lunge<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-146807\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/27151255\/lunges-600-front-to-back-lunge.gif\" alt=\"front to back lunge demo | lunges\" width=\"434\" height=\"504\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart holding a pair of dumbbells at arm\u2019s length by your sides.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your chest up and core engaged, take a large step forward with your right foot.<\/li>\n<li>Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel with the floor and your left knee is bent about 90 degrees, just above the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Pause, and then push off with your right foot, stepping back into a reverse lunge without returning to the starting position.<\/li>\n<li>That\u2019s one rep. Complete all of your reps, and then repeat with your left leg.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Banded squats<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-146950\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/29115228\/quad-sets-600-banded-squat.png\" alt=\"woman doing banded squat | quad sets\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loop a small resistance band around both legs just above your knees. Stand tall with your hands by your sides, feet shoulder-width apart, and toes pointed forward.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your back flat and core braced, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Pause, and then push yourself back up to the starting position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Walking lunges<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-146813\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/27151327\/lunges-600-walking-lunge.gif\" alt=\"walking lunge demo | lunges\" width=\"489\" height=\"546\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.<\/li>\n<li>With a stride that\u2019s a little less than double your normal walking stride, bring your left leg forward and plant your left foot.<\/li>\n<li>Come up on the ball of your right foot as you bend your left knee 90 degrees (or as low as you can comfortably go) and lower your right knee, allowing it to hover just above the ground. Your back knee should also be bent at a 90-degree angle.<\/li>\n<li>With your weight on your left foot, push off your right foot and straighten your legs, bringing your right foot forward to meet your left foot as you return to a standing position.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat on the opposite side, lunging forward with your right leg.<\/li>\n<li>Continue to move forward, lunging with alternating legs, for the specified distance or number of steps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Bulgarian split squats<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"How to Do Bulgarian Split Squats With Shaun T | DIG DEEPER\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KXBcmN4NYZE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand facing away from a bench, holding a pair of dumbbells at arm\u2019s length by your sides. (If the Bulgarian split squat is a new movement for you, you may want to skip using the dumbbells.)<\/li>\n<li>Place the toes of your left foot on the bench behind you.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your torso upright, lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee is hovering above the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Pause, and then push back up to the starting position. Do equal reps on both legs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Pistol squats<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/1634697872\/SJeKARb7p_default\/index.html?videoId=5574325497001\" width=\"600\" height=\"337.5\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand with your back to a bench or other stable, knee-high platform, holding one dumbbell in front of your chest in both hands. (If the pistol squat is a new movement for you, you may want to skip using the dumbbell.)<\/li>\n<li>Extend your right leg in front of you with your toes up, keeping your heel an inch or two off the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your chest lifted, your back flat, and your core engaged, push your hips back and lower your butt onto the bench.<\/li>\n<li>Return to the starting position without letting your right foot touch the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Perform equal reps on both legs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quad sets are one of those simple yet powerful exercises that can help you make the most of a period of recovery or rehab. As with any exercise, quad sets should only be done with a doctor\u2019s approval. But, chances are, if you\u2019ve recently dealt with a knee injury or surgery, quad sets are in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-4127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}